As Rangers reportedly line up Leon Balogun to replace Leon King this season, it speaks volumes about the status of Academy graduate Lewis Mayo in the club’s squad.
Now 23-years-old, Lewis Mayo is back at Ibrox after a loan stint with Scottish Premiership Kilmarnock and is currently in Germany as he looks to leave an impression on Michael Beale.
But despite being highly-rated earlier in his Rangers career the centre-back does not appear to be a first-team option going by the defensive transfer links now surrounding the Ibrox club.
Fellow Ibrox academy defender Leon King has just been ruled out for the foreseeable future after sustaining a devastating ankle injury in training amid links to the likes of Man United.
Now, Rangers are reportedly turning their attentions to Leon Balogun who is likely to become the club’s seventh summer signing should everything go right with a medical.
Rangers turn to Leon Balogun, not Lewis Mayo
The Nigerian international centre-back, 35, will join Connor Goldson, Ben Davies, John Souttar and Dujon Sterling as first-team centre-back options this season and the Ibrox side do not want to stop there.
Links to Jonathan Panzo persist in the media with Rangers said to still be interested in a move for the Nottingham Forest defender despite the links to Leon Balogun.
That leaves Lewis Mayo likely scratching his head over his Rangers future with the former Scotland youth international centre-back now at a crossroads in his career.
Having impressed in back-to-back loan moves at Partick Thistle and Kilmarnock, Mayo is now in the final year of his deal at Ibrox and at 23 needs to be playing regular football.
Given Michael Beale’s Rangers attentions appear firmly set elsewhere then we’d be very surprised to see the defender in the Ibrox squad come the big kick off against his former side Killie on August 5th.
